William -sabert boyd



(No Model.)

W. S. BOYD.

TYPE CLEANER FOR TYPE WRITINGMAUHINES.

No. 445,519. Patented Jan. 27, 1891.

I XI I I 1,? fl- WITJV'ESSES IW'V'EJV'TOR Darren STATES Parent UFFICE.

IVILLIAM SABERT BOYD, OF IVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

TYPE-CLEANER FOR TYPE-WRITING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,519, dated January 2'7, 1891.

Application filed June 14,1888. Serial No.277,15'7. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM SABERT BOYD, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vashington, in the District of Colu mbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type- (-leaners for Type-Yriting Machines; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the accompanying drawings, to which reference is made and which form a part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my brush or type-cleaner applied to one style of writing-machine, only so much of the machine being shown asto illustrate the manner of securing the brush in position. Fig. 2 is a similar view of another form applied to another style of machine. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig.4 is a perspective view of the form shown in Fig. 2, the parts being separated or detached from each other; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the brush as used in both formsof the device.

In using type-writi ng machines the constant striking of the type against the inked ribbon tends to fill up the middle or central portion ofsome of the types-as, for instance, the a e, o, and like close letters-and also to cause the outer portion of all of the type to become clogged more or less with an accum ulat-ion of ink, dirt, &c., so that when the type strike the ribbon to make an impression upon the paper these accumulations cause more of the ribbon to touch the paper than is necessary to make an impression, and the conse' quence is that the letters are obscured by a blur upon their face and also around their border, thus spoiling the neat appearance of the work. To preventthis blurring of the paper, it is necessary to remove this accumulation of ink and dirt, which may be done by means of a handbrush or pick, which is manipulated by one hand while each separate letter is held with the other hand, or by holding the brush above the type with the bristles downward in one hand and the striking the type up against it with the other hand by striking the keys of the key-board; but each of the above ways is a very slow and tedious operation, and especially with the first plan and with machines having agreat many separate type, besides the liability of transferring the ink and dirt from the type to the fingers of the operator, thus requiring the additional trouble and loss of time necessary to wash the hands before proceeding with the work upon the machine. As a consequence there is always a great temptation for the operator to neglect to clean the type until they become so filled up as to render the work very unsatisfactory, and especially when the work is very urgent and the time for cleaning the type can not be spared. To overcome these defects and difficulties I have invented a type-cleaner which can be secured upon a machine in an instants time and as quickly removed, which by striking the keys of the key-board with one or both hands will cause the difterenttype to iiy up and strike the cleaner and be as thoroughly cleansed as though they were cleaned by the slow and plodding way above described, and after they have been cleaned it is not necessary to cleanse the hands, nor is it necessary to remove the work from the machine, thus enablingthe operator to clean any or all of the type in an incredibly short space of time, even right in the midst of the most important work, thus always insuring a clean, neat, and tidy impression or copy. As the cleaner is thus removable, it never interferes with the type striking the ribbon and paper when the machine is in use after the type have been cleaned.

My invention therefore relates to typeclcaners for \vriting-machinesg and it'consists in the improved construction and combinations of parts of the same, as will be hereinafter more particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which the same letters of referonce indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures, A indicates the brush portion of the cleaner, and B the handle. The brush is preferably made circular in form and pivotally secured at its middle to one end of the handle, in order that after one type has struck the brush the brush will be slightly rotated upon its pivot and present a new point of contact for the succeeding type. In this manner a much better result is obtained than if the brush were stationary, as the blow of the type against the ends of the bristles, coming, as it does, in a curved line from below, tends to rotate the brush, instead of breaking the bristles down, as would be the result if the brush were stationary and all of the type struck in the same place. Besides, the ink and dirt that is removed from one type is carried around out of the way of the following type. As all of the type strike a common center, it follows that as the brush revolves the type all strike within a certain space around the face of the brush. Hence it is only necessary that the bristles occupy this space, as all outside of the space would be useless for cleaning the type. I therefore construct the brush with only an annular arrangement of the bristles upon its face, while the central portion of the brush serves as a body or support for the bristles around its periphery, and also for the pivot by means of which it is secured to the end of the handle. I prefer to make the diameter of the brush about two inches, as this gives a suffioient amount of bristles to make the brush last a long time, and also gives the type plenty of power to rotate it when they strike against the ends of the bristles, which they would not be so apt to do if the diameter were too small.

The brush can be made in any suitable manner-as, for instance, by securing the bristles in wood or other material with their points sticking downward or at right angles to the support, the only requisite being that they be so close together as to prevent the type from pressing in between any of them and sticking fast, where they would be in the way of the next type. Another requisite is that they should be very short and stiff to enter the inclosed portions of such letters as have a rim around a hollow or depressed portion and remove the dirt by passing through it, and also by having their points slightly bent or curved toward each other as they enter the depressed portion of the type and strike against the curved bottom of the depression. The stiffness and rigidity of the bristles also enable them 'to withstand the blows from the face of the type for a longer time without breaking down than they could if they were longer and not so well braced by the surrounding bristles. I prefer, however, to make use of a brush made in the following manner: A central portion or button 0 is cut out of wood or other suitable material, having-a hole D through its middle or'center. A long narrow strip of haircloth E is then glued or cemented at' one end to the periphery of the button 0 and the entire strip of hair-cloth wound around in succeeding layers until the brush is of the required diameter, when the end of the strip is preferably glued to the last layer, which keeps it in place and prevents the brush from unwinding. The strip of hair-cloth is of such a width that when. thus wound around the button the hairs which have been out into short pieces by cutting the cloth into strips will be nearly as long as the brush is to be thick-that is, from the back to the ends of the bristlesand which is preferably a little more than the thickness of the a coating of cement or glue, which entersthe cloth for a short distance and firmly secures one end of each bristle in place, so that it cannot be withdrawn or pulled out from the face of the brush, and it also secures the different layers of cloth to each other so securely that they cannot unwind or come loose from the button at the center. After the hair-cloth has thus been wound and secured together I place a back F, the interior of which is also covered with a coating of glue or cement, over the glued surface of the cloth and button, and thus protect the glued surfaces from being broken apart by use, and also give a more substantial construction to the brush.

To prevent the outside wrap of the brush from being torn loose from the inner layers or wraps, I have found it better to provide a rim or band G, which fits around the brush, and thus protects that part from contact with such objects as would tend to cause the threads or warp of the cloth to be unraveled from the bristles, and thus destroy the brush, or to cause the entire layer to be unwound, which would continue until the entire strip of cloth had been removed from the button and the brush destroyed. This band or protector can be made separate from the back and be suitably secured thereto; but I prefer to make it integral with the back in the shape of a flange, the back being preferably formed by stamping it out of a sheet of tin or other thin metal, thus making the back cup-shaped.

If desired, the rim can be of the same width as the strip of cloth,so that its outer edge will be even with the front or face of brush; but I prefer to make it a trifle narrower than the cloth, or about of the same width as the thickness of the button, thus leaving the outer edge of the bristles projecting in front of both the rim and the button. This construction makes a more pliable or yielding outer surface than would be obtained by having either or both of them even with the surface of the brush. If desired, the outer edge of the rim can be slightly crimped around the cloth to assist in holding it in place, or it can be made of a slightly-less diameter than that which fits around the back, so that when it is slipped upon the brush it will hold the cloth in. place in the same manner as above described. After the brush has thus been formed one or more, but preferably only one, warp-thread is removed from the outer edge or face of brush, leaving a portion of the bristles projecting for cleaning the type.

As an additional means of securing the button, and with it the bristles, to the back, an eyelet H is passed through the hole in the back and in the button and then flanged in the usual manner, thus binding the button and back together in the most substantial and durable manner. If desired, the button may be secured to the back by punching the hole in the back after the button is in place, thus forming prongs or hooks which will project .into or through the hole in the button, and

by bending them sufficiently into the walls of the hole will thus bind or hold it in the same manner as the eyelet.

The handle 13 for securingthebrush in position preferably consists of a thin flat metallic strip, one end of which is provided with a hole I at or near the end, by means of which the brush is secured to it, and the other end is formed or provided with a clamping-hook J, which engages with a portion of the machine and holds the entire device in such position that some portion of the annular ring or bristles will be directly over the center of the basket of the machine, in order that as the type are brought up by striking the different keys of the key-board they will contact with the ends of the bristles that are pointed downward, and thus be cleaned. The handle is of such a length that the center or pivot of the brush will be at one side of the center of the basket, and will thus causethe ring of bristles to pass over the center of the basket of the machine.

The brush is best secured to the end of the handle by means of a shouldered rivet K, which is passed up through the eyelet in the center of the brush and its reduced end L passed through the hole in the end of the handle and riveted, the shoulder of the rivet preventing the handle being forced down so far as to bind against the back of the brush and prevent its turning. I prefer to make the head M of the rivet inclined,or what is known as countersunk,in order to fit more snugly in the flared end of the eyelet, which will thus give a bearing-surface sufiicientlylarge to assist in keeping the brush true and level, and also cause the outer surface of the rivet to be even with the surface of the button. It will now be seen that the eyelet will form a wearing-surface for the rivet, both for the body of the rivet and also for the head, as well as assisting in securingthe back and button together. It will also form a bead or ridge upon the top of the back, which will prevent the back from coming in contact with the handle, and thus tend to prevent its free rotation,the rivet being of such length that the brush will not have too much play up and down on the rivet, as would be the case if the ridge were not between the handle and back. If desired, the handle can be provided with two or more holes, one in front of the other, and the brush be secured removably to the handle by means of a screwor otherwise, so that by changing the pivot from one hole to the other the entire brush can be placed nearer to or farther from the center of the basket, and thus different portions of the ring of bristles can be thrown over the contactpoint of the type and the brush rendered more lasting, as after one portion of the ring has been destroyed another portion can be brought into use.

The hook end of the handle, which is the only point of difference between the two forms of the cleaner, in the form shown in Fig. 1, consists of a semicircular loop J, formed on the end of the handle, the upper portion of which engages with the top of the frame of the machine and the lower end of which engages with the lower edge of the top of the frame. The lower end of this hook or loop is slightly curved, as shown at O, in order that when the handle is to be placed upon the machine a slight pressure toward the center of the basket of the machine will cause this curved portion to slip over the lower edge of the top of the machine, and by having the point 1" of the loop, at which this curved portion begins, nearer the center of the semicircle than the end of the handle or the portion of the loop just outside of this curved portion the handle will require a slight pressure to put it in place; but as soon as the point P passes over the edge of the machine it rises behind the edge and, owing to the spring of the metal, is kept from slipping off the machine until it is withdrawn by the operator,

the curved portion of the handle providing a very convenient means for putting on or removing the cleaner.

An additional means of securing the handle to the top of the machine or basket consists of a groove Q, formed transversely of the handle just at the point where the curved portion begins which fits over the tops of the screw heads of the machine which secure the type-bars to the machine, and thus prevent that portion of the handle from slipping off the top of the machine. Ashoulder R, formed by the upper portion of the curve, fitsagainst the top of the machine and really forms the point which bears against the top of the ma chine in opposition to the lower end of the hook, and thus permits the bottom of the groove Q to be entirely free from the tops of the screw-heads. which will prevent the handle from swinging or turning around upon a screw-head, which would be liable to happen if the handle only happened to bear upon the top of one screw instead of upon two.

To assist in placing the handle upon the machine, and also to cause the wall of the groove to bear firmly against the outer portion of the screws of the machine, which is vertical and prevents the inner end of the handle, and with it the brush, fromswinging to one side or the other, the opposite wall of the groove is preferably made slightly inclined, which willbear against that side of the screws and hold the oppositewallagainst thefront partof the screws, owing to the fact that the bottom of the groove is preferably made a trifle narrowerthan thediametcrot the screws. As the upper ends of the type-bars of the machine to which this form of the cleaner is secured are almost, if not entirely, as high as the heads of the screws, and are very close to them, it is necessary to bend the handle slightly upward adjoining the inclined wall of the groove, as shown at S, to throw the handle high enough not to interfere with the typebars. By making this bent. portion S also slightlyinclined it will readily slip over the tops of the screws in pushing the handle upon the machine. The portion of the handle intermediate its ends is preferably bent or curved slightly upward, so that when in place. upon the machine it will press up against the lower side of the front railof the machine and assist the lower end of the hook in holding the cleaner in place.

The form of book of the handle shown in Fig. 2 is something in the shape of an ellipse T, flattened upon one side and provided with a shoulder U between it and the brush. The end of the flattened portion V of the hook is slightly curved downward, in order that when the brush is being placed upon the machine for which it is adapted this point will pass down through the top of the machine, where the ribbon comes up, and will engage with the lower side or portion of the top, while the upper portion of the curve will engage with the upper surface of the top, and thus clamp or bind the handle in place. The shoulder U .will engage with the outer portion of the basket of the machine and will prevent the handle from being slipped too far toward the center of the machine, which would cause the ring of bristles to stand not directlyover the contact-point or center of the basket, and would also permit the outer portion of the curve to slip down through the hole in the top of the machine. It is necessary that the curve of the handle at a pointshown at \V should pass part of the way through this hole in order that the brush will not slip off the machine until itis withdrawn by the operator, the upper portion of the curve answering the purpose of a handle for putting on or taking offlthe brush.

In order to cause the inner end of the handle to project toward the center of the basket, as the point of attachment tothe machine is to one side of the center, the flattened portion of the handle is bent or twisted to one side, as shown at X. In placing the handle upon the machine the outer edge of this flattened portion of the handle is placed against the end Wall of the hole of the machine, which will then cause the inner end of the handle to project or stand to one side or toward the center of the basket. This will cause the center of the brush to stand on a line With the two type that are used upon this style of machine, as fully set forth in the preceding partof this application. The shoulderU may be high enough to throw the handle entirely above the tops of the screws of the basket for holding the type-bars in place, or it may be so low as to permit the handle to bear upon them, or, if preferred, it can be dispensed with entirely and the distance to which the handle can be inserted upon the machine be governed by the point of the flattened portion of the hook, which will bear against the portion of the top around the basket upon the lower surface of the top. By making the shoulder inclined toward the brush end of the handle it can be slipped up onto the edge or screws of, the basket, in which case the tendency will be to slip off the basket and cause more pressure to bear upon the point W, and thus assist in holding the handle in position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination, with a type-writing machine having its type arranged to strike at a common point, of a circular cleaner secured thereto with its center at one side of said common point and having its periphery extending beyond said point, substantially as described.

2. The combination, With a type-Writing machine having its type arranged to strike at a common point, of a flat circular cleaner secured thereto, having the cleaning material annularly arranged around the periphery upon the under side, the cleaner being pivotally secured with its center to one side of the common point, whereby some portion of the cleaning material is over the common point at all times when the cleaner is being used, substantially as described.

3. In a type-cleaner for writing-machines, the combination, with a flat handle having a flat curved clamping-hook at one end, of a circular rotary cleaning device at the opposite'end, substantially as described.

4. In a type-cleaner for writing-machines, the combination, with a flat handle having a transverse crease near one end and the portion beyond the crease formed into a flat curved clamping-hook, of a rotary cleaning device pivotally secured to the opposite end, substantially as described.

5. In a type-cleaner for writing-machines, the combination, with a flat handle having a flat curved clamping-hook at one end and a hole in the opposite end, of a shouldered rivet, and a rotary cleaning device pivotally secured upon the rivet, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib ing witnesses.

\VILLIAM SABERT BOYD.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR L. MoRsnLL, ROBERT M. ELLIOTT.

TIS 

